Four Hundred and Twenty Seconds
by i.amazonian
Summary: "I'll hold on to this, and I won't break, remembering that once, we shared the same past. Even if... Even if we won't be sharing the same future."
1. Part 1

Short Story: Four Hundred and Twenty Seconds

Base: "I'll hold on to this, and I won't break, remembering that once, we shared the same past. Even if… Even if we won't be sharing the same future."

* * *

They're running and he's panting and she's gasping and all they want to do is _stop_, stop because it's so unbelievably painful inside, his lungs are breaking and she's never had this much trouble breathing but they can't stop and she knows he would rather die first before allowing a halt to their escape.

She knows he'd rather die first than surrender her.

Her oxygen-deprived brain clambers out of its fatigue-induced mini coma to wish with every nerve in its form that he wasn't that noble, that he didn't love her _that_ much. She just wants him to let go of her hand, let go of her and her not-made-for running feet and just bolt. Away from this materialized nightmare of a place. Bolt, and save himself.

He looks to his side, at the girl who almost never fell down before but is now tripping after every third step she took. She was rock-like, never faltering, but now her knees wobble like jelly and the hand he's holding is limp and he just wants to stab himself for bringing her to this pain. He looks forward, they don't seem to be getting anywhere, and he glances back at her, her sightless eyes looking determined amidst the agony, and he is reminded why he's running, why he has to keep running. He needs to bring her to safety even if it means having to sweat out every last bit of water inside him, because he'd make sure she's safe if it's the last thing he'll ever do.

"I'm tired. I'm really tired…"

She manages to gasp this out with what little air inside her, because that's who she was. She spoke her mind in every situation because she knew that the world is full of idiots and beating around the bush is next to useless with idiots. He looks at her with eyes full of emotion and for the first time since he met her he is genuinely thankful that she is blind, thankful that she can't see the pure, unadulterated heartache in his face. It hurts him more than anything to see her like this, when she's hurting and crying and _breaking_ and he can do absolutely nothing to ease her pain.

He wants to be gentle, he wants to hold her close to him even just a moment and comfort her but he knows that's not the way to get to her and speak to the fighter within. So he barks at her, with every ounce of strength he can muster and pray that it can somehow provide the energy she needs to pull through.

"No! You're not tired, Toph, because getting tired is for pansies and for weaklings and you claim to be neither!"

He breathes in as much air as he could.

"I'm not even tired yet! Are you saying that I'm stronger than you? That you're so weak you can't even handle running?"

She fights back tears that have unconsciously formed in her eyes and silently calls to her body, pleads for it to stop being so wimpy and cooperate, because she is _not_ weak. But her legs feel like they're burning and it feels like a vacuum is passing through her lungs so she doesn't reply and just runs.

He doesn't know for sure if it's working, but he's extremely tired too and his brain isn't working well enough for him to be able to formulate another way, so he just keeps on shouting at her. He's not even sure if he's making sense, he doesn't think he's actually forming words but he hopes his voice is enough.

"Run Toph, because you said you can do anything and this is not the time to take that back! I'm not giving up on you so don't you dare give up now!"

She can't feel anything and it's so damn _painful_ because she's been blind all her life and feeling is everything to her. However she hears him perfectly and she wonders if he knows that he's failing miserably at masking the exhaustion in his voice. She recognizes it so clearly, it's as if he was actually screaming how tired he was.

"We're almost there, Toph! Don't give up, just a little more…"

And even he had to silently scoff at his lie because he doesn't believe it one bit and he knows that neither does she. Where the heck are they? He doesn't even know, all he knows is that they have to get away, out of this place before _he_ catches up to them.

There's ringing in his ears and he couldn't comprehend _anything_ around them but hears her next words and he couldn't believe it.

"Leave me, Aang. Leave me here and run."

They're still running but an urge to stop and slap some sense into her fills him. He ignores it because he knows that _he's_ near, but still he shouts because he just can't let it go.

"WHAT? Absolutely not!"

"Don't be an idiot, Aang! You can run faster without me slowing you down!"

"You can't be serious, Toph!"

"I am! Look, we both know it's me he wants. And I'm tired, Aang, so very tired. I can't do this anymore!"

He's angry now.

"So what? You're going to give up, just like that? This is not the Toph I know!"

"I didn't mean it like that! Can you stop being such a hero for a moment and think? He wants me, so if I stop, he stops! Then you can have more time to escape!"

"No! Not a chance!"

"Listen to me! I have to stop because I can't do this anymore! I can't weigh you down anymore, Aang! I can't keep up with you and I don't want you to slow down for me!"

"Then we'll both stop! I'm not leaving you!"

"Please Aang! You have to save yourself this time! It's either me or the both of us and it'd be pretty stupid to sacrifice two instead of one!"

He stops.

"What are you doing? Run!"

"No. I'm not running unless you're running with me!"

"You idiot! He's right on our trail, he's probably—"

And just like that, she freezes and realizes that he's near, he's here and they're basically dead. She tries to push Aang away, tries to get him to run, escape, move! All of a sudden, as if spontaneously combusting from the air around them, _he_ appears in front of them, around them, everywhere. Every fiber of her being uncoils in terror and she can only think of one thing: He has to live, he just has to.

He stands at the ready, knowing that the time for running away has run out and that the moment to face the enemy is now here. He is, and has been a worry-wart all his life, a scaredy-cat in every possible situation, but now he doesn't even remember to fear for his own life because all that matters is that she's safe and that's that.

She shouts and now he's terrified.

"Koh! I'm here! I won't put up a fight, but you have to let him stay unharmed!"

A creepy, airy voice comes out of a seemingly unmoving mouth that taunts her attempts and she's too scared to feel insulted.

"Don't be silly, blind girl. You're not going to be able to put up a fight even if you wanted to…"

"But I don't want to fight you! I want you to let Aang go and I'm yours to do whatever you want with me!"

"Toph no! What are you saying? Koh, don't listen to her! She doesn't know what she's saying! I'm not going anywhere and she is NOT going with you!"

A sneer.

"That's too bad… Such a precious face…"

The pursuer circles them like a predator circles its prey, scattering his voice to all sides of their consciousness.

"Fight me! You are not going to take her!"

"Come now, young Avatar. You can't possibly think you could defeat me, can you? Why not take the blind girl's deal and save your own head?"

"No! I'm not leaving her here! Take me instead!"

A laugh. A cruel, taunting laugh.

"I have no interest in you, boy. It's your companion that speaks to my curiosity…"

"It's settled then! Aang, you run away now! I'm fine, I'll be fine, just go!"

"I am not going to do that, Toph! There's absolutely no way I'm letting that happen!"

"You're being an absolute moron, Aang! You can't save me so you better just save yourself!"

"Listen to the girl, Avatar…"

"I can… I can save you from this, Toph! I can't _not_ save you from this!"

"Are you listening to yourself? You can't save me, you're powerless against him! You can't get me out of this mess, you don't know how!"

She starts walking towards Koh, intent on making him swear that he will leave Aang alone. She doesn't care what happens to her, even if she's scared beyond belief. She doesn't have a clue what's to happen and that terrifies her more than she cares to admit. But that doesn't matter, because she is here and she has to stay if it means he will live on.

He panics when he sees her move, sensing that _he _will pounce if he doesn't do anything. NOW.

"Yes I do."

She stops dead in her tracks and whips her head back to look at him, not caring that she can't actually see.

"What?"

"I know. I know how to get you out of this mess."

For a moment, a spark of hope flashes through her mind, _whatever a spark looked like, _but disappears as soon as she feels the weird, un-triumphant beating of his heart.

"Aang…"

"Toph, can you leave us for a while? Koh, will you allow her? I assure you in my honor that I am not trying to deceive you. I just… I just want to talk to you alone."

"Aang, what are you—"

"Hush, blind girl! Avatar, what are you getting at?"

"I'll tell you, but first she can't be here."

"I think you understand, silly little Avatar, that I can't let the girl get away. I'm far too taken with her."

"She doesn't have to go away. You can just, I don't know, make her fall unconscious. Make her sleep."

"Aang!"

"I said hush!"

She couldn't find the courage to retaliate, and she loathes herself for it.

"Please, Koh. Make her fall asleep now. I'll tell you. Just… help me make her _not_ hear this."

"And how, pray tell, do you suppose I do that, boy?"

"I don't know. But I know you do."

A brash, almost proud laugh. Toph feels more and more terrified by the second.

"You're right, I do."

She hears nothing more.


	2. Part 2

Short Story: Four Hundred and Twenty Seconds

Base: "I'll hold on to this, and I won't break, remembering that once, we shared the same past. Even if… Even if we won't be sharing the same future."

* * *

She wakes up feeling surprisingly normal, her body in a supine position on what seems to be freshly watered earth judging from the solid softness she's feeling under her. She stirs and wonders why there is an unsettling adrenaline inside her and looks around. She is alone, and she is lost.

She jolts up and her unseeing eyes widen in attempt to catch a glimpse of a boy with the heartbeat she doesn't want to live without. She gets no such luck, try as she might to sense human life, any human life around her.

She is afraid, so damn afraid, but not for her own life or her safety but she is terrified that she might never feel his presence again—no, she forces her mind not to think of such thoughts, hoping against all hope that if she did not think of it then no such thing will ever exist. She chants in her mind, not knowing if she's trying to convince destiny or to fool herself, it doesn't matter, so long as he is safe, he is safe, _he is safe…_

A rustle of leaves to her side pulls her out of her trance, and pulling herself to her feet she dares to hope.

"Aang?"

"Yes, it's me. How are you feeling?"

She stands frozen on her spot, as if moving or blinking or even breathing will make him disappear into thin air. This is too good to be true, him being here and she almost let herself believe that this is actually Koh standing in front of her, disguising himself as Aang to lure her into a false sense of security.

"Aang? Is that really you?"

Stupid question, she knows, but she asks anyway. She has no other way of telling after all, this place, this damned, panic-inducing pathetic excuse for a place is eliminating any chance of her sensing her visitor properly. She has no choice but to verbally express her desperate curiosity to anyone who can hear her. She knows it's not an efficient way at all, if it's really Koh then a convincing lie will most probably be at the ready on his lips, but she wishes for an honest answer anyway.

"Yes, Toph. Are you alright?"

"I am. Where's Koh? What happened?"

"He's not here. You're safe."

She isn't convinced.

"Aang?"

"Yes?"

"Kiss me."

A hint of incredulity is evident in the visitor's sudden spike of heartbeat and she is torn between two conclusions: that it's either Aang pushed to complete embarrassment by her uncharacteristic request or Koh suddenly nervous at the possibility of kissing her and exposing his charade. She waits, and feels tentative lips press against hers for a second or two. She comes to a realization quickly and attacks the person, tackling him to the ground.

She tries not to cry.

"Don't you dare do that again! Ever!"

Gentle arms wrap around her and she welcomes the act, feeling a sense of security even amidst the darkness that blinds and the coldness that burns.

"You're alright. Thank goodness you're alright, Toph."

"Don't be an idiot. I've been asleep the whole time! Of course I'm alright."

She shifts and the both of them are on their feet, dusting off their clothes and basically just reveling in each other's presence. She tries to sense anything coming off from him that may give her a clue as to what exactly happened while she was asleep. She succumbs to asking.

"What happened, Aang? Where is Koh? Did he do anything to you? How come we're both safe?"

"We talked, Toph. We talked and now he's gone away. He's not going to bother us again. We're safe because I made him understand."

"Understand what, Aang? What did you talk about?"

He exudes a peace so stable it makes her think of an eagle's liberating flight, and she senses a countenance of confidence take over his whole being that her heart swells with pride: He had been victorious.

"You don't have to worry about it, Toph. I made him give you up."

She hugs him, and she allows her mind to imagine glorious battlefield scenes or mysterious duels of deception in which her man with gray eyes emerges unscathed and triumphant while that worthless monster of a creature lies in defeat. She adds in a "begging for his life" scene to satisfy her sudden craving for flair and her ever-present hatred for their previous pursuer. She remains in dreamland, and nothing could be better than being in his arms, feeling a steady rush of strength emanating from his veins.

Indeed there is strength in battle, even more so in victory. The bittersweet truth, however, is that the greatest, most precious form of strength lies beneath the most noble act of all: sacrifice.

* * *

A young girl plays with a blade of grass, fascinated by the feel of the supple object weaving through her fingers. It makes her think of a union between the vastness above her that she cannot sense and the warmth around her that she cannot ignore. Strangely, it makes her remember a memory that doesn't exist.

"_I like your eyes."_

"_You're spewing random nonsense again, Aang."_

"_No really! In fact, I don't think I've ever seen anything like it before."_

"_You've never seen eyes before?"_

"_Of course I have. Yours are different."_

"_How?"_

"_Well for one, they're green."_

She doesn't know where that voice came from, or why it sprouted in her brain, because it certainly isn't a memory. How can something that never happened be one? No, she must just be imagining things.

Still, the male voice was eerily familiar, like she's known it all her life. Well, all 8 years of her life anyway. She isn't even sure if the girl in the daydream was her, her being blind enabling her to recognize the small difference in pitch between her voice and the dream girl's.

She decides to pass it off as insignificant, and pushes the voices to the back of her mind. She raises her head and breathes deeply, noticing the slightest of changes in the coolness around her.

The green blade of grass floats off in the wind.


	3. Part 3

Short Story: Four Hundred and Twenty Seconds

Base: "I'll hold on to this, and I won't break, remembering that once, we shared the same past. Even if… Even if we won't be sharing the same future."

* * *

"Why did you do it?"

There isn't any force behind her words, all her strength being spent on trying to keep her world from falling apart.

"I had to."

"But…"

She doesn't know what to say. It's irreversible now, _that_ she knows. She just doesn't want to accept it. She can't.

"Toph, please don't cry."

He wraps his arms around her and matches her breathing, hoping to comfort her, to comfort them both. His heart is broken too, but he takes strength in the fact that he did it for her, and now she will be safe. She, on the other hand, has nothing to take comfort from, knowing that she was the reason for all this makes everything infinitely worse. She returns the hug, but as she realizes that this is most probably the last time that she will be enveloped in his embrace, she tightens it and inevitably more tears fall from her eyes.

After a while they find themselves sitting side by side on the ground, a sad but oddly comfortable silence taking over them. He breaks it. She needs her closure.

"Koh is cruelty personified. He doesn't really want you physically. It's the pain behind the consequences, that's what he craves for. He lives solely for the mind-numbing emotional emptiness he leaves his victims as."

She stays silent, wondering if _he_ is happy now, now that a depression unlike any other is filling her up and consuming her from within.

"He has always been especially cruel to me, well, my kind, as his nature is to believe that we, being who we are, never feel any pain, that our hearts never break. And thus he reserves his most vengeful wrath for us, thinking that we deserve the worst."

He faces her and allows himself to stare.

"I'm sorry, Toph. I'm sorry. You're in this situation because of me. I'm sorry you're suffering… because I love you."

"Never. Ever. Apologize for that. I won't allow it."

"Toph…"

"No. I love you. And to be loved by you in return is, and will always be, the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. If this is a curse, then there is surely no such thing as a blessing. Never apologize for loving me, Aang, because that's like apologizing for making me happy."

His eyes glaze over with unshed tears, not really believing how luck he is to have met a girl like her. Not really believing how unlucky he is to be losing her.

"So what was the deal? You said you sacrificed yourself, but he didn't really like the idea when you were offering yourself instead of me. What did you tell him when I was asleep?"

He looks up to the stars.

"I told him to take me to another place, another time. Where he can watch me suffer, watch me live in the knowledge that you exist, or will exist, but will still be unreachable. Still be more than impossible to hold in my arms, to grow old with. Still be in pain, with no chance to be happy."

She stifles her tears long enough to quell her curiosity, the dreadful feeling that there's more to the already devastating tale.

"He wanted more, didn't he?"

He seems resigned, peaceful even, having accepted the fate that fate itself bestowed upon him.

"Yes."

She chokes back a sob, _a wail_, and realizes just how awful a person she is. He's sacrificing so much, it hurts her physically just hearing it, and it's not even over.

"What…"

"Koh is a very clever opponent, it is virtually impossible to trick him in a game where he controls the rules. However… I know for a fact that he is not as well-versed in one aspect as in all others. And only because he is incapable of experiencing it himself."

"But what…?"

"He doesn't know how to love, Toph. He knows fondness, he knows attachment, loyalty, even lust. He knows attraction and obsession, he knows all about infatuation. But he doesn't know love. And that's where I knew I had him."

"So… what did you say?"

"I also know that he is very ambitious, and as long as there is an opportunity to inflict more pain, and leave bigger, more hollow shells into people's existence then he will take it, no matter the risk."

She can't take it anymore.

"Just tell me what you offered him!"

"In addition to taking me away from you, I told him that should I ever love anyone else as much as I love you, I give him permission to take whoever that is and do whatever he wants. I will not stand in his way, or else I will let the existence of my kind end with me. I told him that _that_ will double his satisfaction, having the opportunity to take happiness from me twice."

She ignores the pang in her chest at the thought, and she is disgusted by how selfish she's feeling. She thinks of Aang, and how he's not only sacrificing his present but also his future and she opens her mouth to protest in behalf of the poor, unknowing girl somewhere, sometime whose life has now been essentially taken away from her.

"But Aang! You just put an innocent life in the line of fire! Do not involve anyone else in his twisted games, please—"

"His mistake is believing I will ever love someone the way I love you, Toph."

She falls silent once again, her body struggling to produce more tears because it is now apparent that tears alone cannot contain the emotions swimming in her eyes. He smiles, grateful for this moment, this one last moment where time seems to stop just for them.

"Toph, I love you. It might get harder for you, or it might get easier once your life recommences in a path that will never intersect with mine, I'm not quite sure. But whatever comes, even if your mind forgets, I pray that your heart will draw strength from this. That in this, right now, I love you, and this moment will live on forever, even as fate erases it from the book of time."

She has dried out every drop of moisture and she can't cry anymore, nor does she feel the need to. Though her heart is still broken _beyond repair_, she takes comfort in loving and being loved in return and she doesn't care if she forgets, she knows her spirit will always believe in this moment. So she smiles in partial acceptance, _she'd still fight for him if she could, _and reaches for his hand. She looks into his eyes and speaks confidently.

"I'll hold on to this, and I won't break, remembering that once, we shared the same past. Even if… even if we won't be sharing the same future."

They smile and he kisses her, short and chaste, and _meaningful_, moving his lips to her forehead. He pulls her close and tells her how proud he is of her. She response with a whispered impossible wish, _I wish we could stay like this forever_, and is granted with a hush.

They fall asleep on the hard earth, goodbyes having remained unspoken. After all, in a few moments they would have had never met each other, so why would there be a need for a farewell?

There is no tomorrow for them, as time resets itself and creates a faint memory of a past that history will claim to have never existed.

* * *

A blind infant is born to a rich family. Seven decades before, a gray-eyed boy learns how to fly.

* * *

-FIN-


End file.
